The Pro Bowl free safety reported to the team Wednesday morning, ending a contract holdout that spanned three months. He slipped on his pads, navy blue No. 29 jersey and Jordan brand cleats, then trotted onto the practice field with his teammates. Yes, it’s the best news Seattle has received in weeks: The team’s most talented player can possibly be on the field for the regular season opener Sunday at Denver.

But this is a welcome back to reality.

For months, Thomas lived in a world where workout videos posted to his Instagram account – where he announced the end of his holdout – served as practice footage. In that world, publicly addressing his contract holdout meant Instagram captions that demanded either a contract extension or a trade to a team that would offer a new deal. Perhaps recognizing that he was becoming more...